Talk to me about Vacuum Sealers

[fishin solo]

Buy a bigger chamber sealer and you can seal a filet no problem

 

[ziggy]

If it’s big enough you could filet a seal and seal it no problem lol!

 

[Sentinel]

The problem with chamber sealers for those of us that travel out there is you can not freeze a large fish in a chamber sealer. Our larger fish I cut into 3 or 4 chunks per side, vacuum seal them individually then I place them in order in a larger bag and vacuum seal it as one fish. When the sealer sucks it tight it's very easily identified as one fish. Some of the larger ones I will just seal whole and keep for canning or smoking later on when I get home. I place a piece of paper towel up close to the seal to keep any moister from entering the seal area and will double seal the end to ensure I get a good seal. This paper towel area also acts as a good backing for highlighting the writing that must be put on each package for identification. All this is a requirement for transporting your catch. That I have seen I don't think there's a chamber sealer out there you could freeze over a 10-12 fish whole. I have worn out one cheaper unit and am on a second one but I have been eyeing up the bigger units at Cabellas they look like some HD sealers that would last quite a few years.

You can use the foodsaver style bags with a chamber sealer and seal any size fish or fillet you want externally. The only challenge is getting the level of the bag and contents correct to work with chamber sealer externally. I would never go back now that I have a chamber sealer. It seals every time whether the sealing area is fouled or not and the price of bags will pay for machine in the long run. Being able to can fish, venison and whatever else in retort bags is also a great feature. Beware though, not all chamber sealers are rated to seal retort bags.

 

[trophywife]

Buy a bigger chamber sealer and you can seal a filet no problem

for 8-12k. no problem. lol

 

[Chasin' Dreams]

There's lot's of companies that make chamber machines that can do all kinds of sizes including whole fillets and whole fish.
And the packaging of fish is a guideline on the fisheries sight. I phoned DFO direct this past summer and asked them if I could cut my fish sides in several pieces instead of just two pieces per fillet like the website says and they told me yes no problem as long as the rules are followed about: (example from DFO sight):

1. the number and species of salmon - e.g., "one Chinook"
2. the number of fillets - "two fillets"
3. the number of pieces - "four pieces"and
   
4. the angler's name and fishing license number

On a trip this past summer we did all this with multiple pieces of fish per fillet, vac packed, labeled as such with tails attached, layered them in coolers with noted papers in each cooler identifying everything as we were told, I then took pictures of everything before departing home and sent them to DFO to make sure all was good. They said perfect and we were good to go.


I used a Foodsaver for as long as they have been around buying several of them over the years. Always wanting a chamber machine for fishing, hunting, food prep/storage, I put some money aside and finally bought one not too long ago. Wish I had done it a long time ago. There really is no comparison to a FS machine. They are completely different being able to vac pac wet items including soups, stews, any wet seafood, never leave air in the packages, 100 times faster to operate, hands free once the item is in the machine, bags come in every shape and size, bags are a tiny fraction of the cost of FS bags, etc etc. Love mine and will be upgrading to a full size longer machine this year that can do whole fish etc and will have three seal bars; one long one and two on the ends.
This is the machine I currently have. Around $900 USD plus shipping I paid: https://www.webstaurantstore.com/ar...achine-with-10-1-4-seal-bar/120VMASVP215.html


This is the machine I will be upgrading to that has three seal bars and can do whole fillets and multiple vac packs at one time. Around $2800 USD after shipping: https://www.webstaurantstore.com/ar...achine-with-three-seal-bars/120VMASVP330.html


Just finished up vac packing a bunch of cured wet Herring for bait with my chamber machine. Super fast and easy with no mess. The chamber machines have come down so much in price over the years too. I take mine with me in my boat on trips too. It is quite heavy but the function of it for packaging lot's of wet fish very quickly and properly makes up for the weight of it. I get my bags in different sizes in bulk boxes from a commercial supplier in Vancouver. Along with presentation board for backing when doing up lox, salmon candy etc for gifts.



Chamber machines are also great for marinading meats etc or for vac packing soups, stews etc. They don't pull any moisture or food products through the seal bar. I use mine a few times every week for packing left overs, keeping herbs/spices fresh, marinading etc.

 

[fishin solo]

for 8-12k. no problem. lol

Do your research bud

 

[Offshore]

I also have the Vac master vp215 it works great. When we go on overnight boat trips I make omelets with raw eggs ,cheese , cooked bacon... and vacuum seal . These will keep in the cooler for days. In the morning when I boil a pot of water for coffee just drop in the omelet bags first. When its cooked just cut open the bag and eat. Its a great breakfast with no dishes. Not only can I seal bags with food and liquids but I can seal dry goods in canning jars. I just put the lids in hot water first to soften them up.

 

[scott craven]

If you don't have the budget for a chamber sealer but tired of food saver problems,
try a "Nesco" by American Harvest.
After burning out 4 food saver's , I can say the Nesco unit is way more efficient.

 

[walleyes]

I'll be going with one of these units next time, have to check them both out again and make a decision when the time comes.

https://www.cabelas.ca/product/103422/cabelas-15-commercial-grade-vacuum-sealer

https://www.halfordsmailorder.com/s...2300-clamp-style-vacuum-machine-bsvacseal2300

 

[trophywife]

Do your research bud

ok, saw the invoice at the lodge i work for when they got a new one , mid sized, 36"x16" I.D. was 8500.00 plus tax.. well worth the money. 5 years of lodge work and it hasn't skipped a beat. a real commercial unit. 4 seal bars. i couldnt believe it was worth that much til we shopped around for one for our cabin. vp215.. only chunks is lame.

check out turbo vac website.. 3k all the way up to 80k!!

 

[fishin solo]

ok, saw the invoice at the lodge i work for when they got a new one , mid sized, 36"x16" I.D. was 8500.00 plus tax.. well worth the money. 5 years of lodge work and it hasn't skipped a beat. a real commercial unit. 4 seal bars. i couldnt believe it was worth that much til we shopped around for one for our cabin. vp215.. only chunks is lame.

check out turbo vac website.. 3k all the way up to 80k!!

Haha yeah I looked at a ton online before I pulled the trigger on mine. All depends on your budget but some are just crazy crazy $ lol

 

[Peahead]

I think it comes down to personal preference but I don't really like fish frozen longer than 3 months.
Over the years we have been fortunate enough to have fresh fish and there isn't much comparison to
frozen.
Again, only my opinion.

Smoke the older fish as it gets past your personal 'table fare' deadline on time in freezer.

I often freeze whole fish ( head off sometimes) and vacuum pack (Foodsaver ) specifically for smoking later. Freezing whole I feel is way better for longer duration freezing because not only does the skin act assist as a natural protection from air and moisture loss but there is also less surface area than cutting fish into several pieces. I believe whole fish (or larger pieces) will produce less % area that succumb to freezer burn. I find it amazing how old fish (1 year +) still smokes up well using my brine and soak time. I've always felt the vacuum packing and smoking process has essentially allowed me to to eliminate any fish waste.

As far as what others have said about type of smoker I think Wolf's example of his use is a very good reason to spend the money and buy a good Chamber unit. I think for the original poster of this thread and many others, a cheaper unit will do the job you need it for. For my foodsaver I freeze my fish first then vacuum pack. I keep the seal void of ice and dampness. I get about 10% failure on my seals.

 

[Stizzla]

Buy a bigger chamber sealer and you can seal a filet no problem

It’s nice to seal a filet, but it would also be nice to filet a seal!